African Great Lakes to protect and assist regionally displaced

A new pact signed in Nairobi recently by the Great Lakes countries of Africa aims to protect and assist the displaced in the region. This is the first legally binding regional instrument specifically dealing with internally displaced persons.

ONLINE

www.amanpanchayat.org arm yourself with info If you want to get yourself updated on your rights and legislation that could help you, www.amanpanchayat.org is the website. It provides a comprehensive listing of conventions, rights, laws and acts. Included in the list are new laws ranging from the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, the Domestic Violence Bill to Right to the Information Act.

Chemical waste dump forces Philippines villagers out

Noxious fumes from chemical wastes dumped into a river in the town of Marilao in the Philippines, forced thousands of residents to flee their homes in the last week of November. Residents complained of dizziness and vomiting. Latest reports note that the fumes had caused 16 children and 31 adults to fall ill; at least 1,000 people were evacuated to a school. A statement issued by the civil defence headquarters in Manila said 3,000 residents of Santa Rosa Uno, another village near the river were also evacuated.

IN SHORT

ban on projects: The Himachal High Court on November 6 clamped a ban on new projects in the private sector (including hotels and residential complexes) above Rs 25 lakh involving construction activity in the Kasauli area without the court's permission. The court said the ban would not apply to government buildings, but the government should submit a list of proposed buildings citing the reason for their construction in Kasauli. The order came on a petition filed by Trisha Sharma, Baljit Malik and S C Prashar.

Supreme Court restrains dismantling <i>Blue Lady</i>

The Supreme Court has restrained the dismantling of the Norwegian ship, Blue Lady. The ship containing 1,250 tonnes of asbestos docked in July this year at Alang port, Gujarat. The court has also directed the Union ministry of environment and forests to find out if the authorities violated the law while allowing the beaching of Blue Lady. Workers' safety at Alang has also attracted the apex court's attention it has asked the government what safety measures it proposed to take to protect those who would dismantle the asbestos-laden vessel.

NEWS SNIPPETS

• Researchers in Kenya and Britain say they are creating a global map to pinpoint locations where malaria is most likely to strike. They say it will help fight the mosquito-borne disease by enabling individual countries to work out infection rates and required drugs. The map should be complete within the next 18 months, the researchers say.

Kenya's Ogiek tribe fights government to return home

Kenya's Ogiek tribal people, one of the last hunter-gatherer communities in east Africa, have joined Botswana's San people (or Bushmen) in their fight against the government to allow them return to their ancestral land.

DEAL

Delegates from more than 25 leading US companies, including GE, Westinghouse, Thorium Power, and Transco Power, were recently in India to sell nuclear power and defence-related technology. The delegates were a part of a deputation that included members from diverse areas, from information and technology to healthcare and telecom. "This is the biggest US trade delegation that has ever visited India," Uni Menon of the US embassy said.

Use the loo before boarding Chinese Southern Airlines

A Chinese airline is encouraging passengers to use toilets before boarding flights. The effort is to cut down on non-essential fuel use during flights.

Forests in peril in Amazon rainforests

Many species of trees in the Amazon rainforests, and animals that depend on them are disappearing more rapidly than previously thought, an international research team reported recently.